The Ultimate Guide to Sony's Impressive Studio Portfolio: Explore Their Exciting Upcoming Projects!

Highlights

Sony now has 21 major first-party development studios, promising a bright future for PlayStation 5 owners.

Sony's studios are a mix of widely recognized and more discreet ones, each actively engaged in various projects encompassing new intellectual properties as well as sequels. This ensures an extensive selection of games for players to anticipate.

After Sony's acquisition of Firewalk Studios in early 2023, the company now proudly possesses 21 renowned first-party development studios, most of which have a notable history of producing exceptional games and ports. With this in mind, both the PlayStation 5 and fortunate owners of Sony's ninth-generation consoles have a promising future.

While it is relatively easy to keep up with the projects of some of Sony's larger studios, the activities of others are not as widely publicized. Those seeking information about what all of Sony's first-party studios are currently working on would therefore need to do some research. Alternatively, they can explore the meticulously curated collection of news and speculations provided below.

Updated August 11, 2023, by Tom Bowen: As rumors and new acquisitions continue to emerge each month, the PlayStation Studios family has expanded with three notable additions announced by Sony in the past year. For those seeking a comprehensive list of major Sony-owned game studios or hoping to gain insight into the current projects of all primary first-party PlayStation studios, this article will prove invaluable.

Bend Studio

After dedicating a significant portion of their time to developing games exclusively for the PSP and PS Vita, Bend Studio made a return to home consoles a few years ago with the highly popular survival game, Days Gone. Despite the overwhelming support from fans, reaching over 150,000 signatures in a petition for a sequel, the studio has decided to embark on a different venture. Their next major project will not be a sequel, but rather a fresh IP that expands upon the open-world mechanisms initially introduced in Days Gone. Based on the job listings, indications point towards the new game being a multiplayer experience.

Bluepoint Games

Bungie

Since its acquisition by Sony in late 2021, Bluepoint Games, renowned for its exceptional work in HD remasters and remakes, has remained tight-lipped about its upcoming ventures.

Bungie, the latest addition to the Sony family, made headlines in early 2022 when news of their acquisition broke. Despite this exciting development, Bungie remains steadfast in their commitment to Destiny 2, as they eagerly anticipate the release of the Final Shape expansion in 2024. Additionally, the studio is diligently working on their upcoming Marathon title, which, much like Destiny 2, is poised to be another dynamic live service game.

Firesprite

Firewalk Studios

The Japanese developer's role has predominantly involved serving as a support studio, enhancing the final aspects of various acclaimed first-party titles by Sony. Although the recent completion of their work on Horizon Call of the Mountain has left the studio's next venture with Sony uncertain, it is worth noting that they are currently engaged in a collaborative effort with Cloud Imperium, the developer of Star Citizen, to co-create Star Citizen: Theaters of War.

Sony initially collaborated with Firewalk in early 2021 to bring Concord, the studio's first AAA project, to the PS5. Several years later, Sony acquired Firewalk Studios from ProbablyMonsters, a US game company, and revealed that Bungie and Haven Studios would also contribute to the development of Concord. The game is scheduled for release in 2024.

Guerrilla Games

Following the tremendous triumph of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, the announcement of a third installment in the Horizon series in April 2023 was hardly surprising. Alongside this, rumors have spread about the studio working on a multiplayer edition of Horizon. However, leaked footage from early 2023 implies that the development of this project may take several more years.

Haven Studios

Sony acquired Haven Studios in early 2022, and the studio is currently engaged in the development of an exciting new AAA multiplayer game called Fairgame$. Additionally, some members of the team are collaborating with Firewalk Studios to offer their expertise in the creation of Concord, another multiplayer title.

Housemarque

Housemarque, a studio recently acquired by Sony due to the tremendous success of their PS5-exclusive game, Returnal in 2021, has been relatively quiet since the acquisition. However, rumors indicate that the studio's upcoming project will revolve around a fresh new intellectual property (IP). This suggests that fans may have to put their hopes of a Returnal sequel on hold for now.

Insomniac Games

The partnership between Insomniac Games and Sony has always been strong, but it wasn't until 2018 that the Japanese Giant proposed an exclusive collaboration. Since then, the developer has delivered some of the most iconic PlayStation exclusives, such as Marvel's Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Currently, Insomniac Games is diligently working on Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and a game centered around Wolverine. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set to release in October 2023, while the release date for Marvel's Wolverine remains unknown.

London Studio

Sony's London Studio has been relatively quiet in recent years after releasing some notable titles in the past. However, their focus seems to be shifting now as they embark on their most ambitious project yet: a cooperative multiplayer game set in a fantastical version of London. While specific details are currently scarce, Studio Head Tara Saunders hints at exciting things to come with

Media Molecule

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Media Molecule stands out as one of Sony's most forward-thinking and audacious studios, as exemplified by its groundbreaking game creator title, Dreams, released in 2020. In April 2023, the team revealed their plans to conclude support for Dreams in September of the same year, while simultaneously embarking on an exciting new project.

Naughty Dog

Known primarily for its contributions to the Uncharted and The Last of Us series, Naughty Dog stands as one of the key pillars within the PlayStation family, alongside esteemed studios like Insomniac Games and Santa Monica Studio. In the early months of 2022, a tweet by Neil Druckmann, the co-president of Naughty Dog, hinted at the existence of three new games currently in development. While one of these projects is believed to be The Last of Us Part 1, the studio is also recognized for their ongoing efforts on The Last of Us 2 Factions. Additionally, there are murmurs of a completely fresh fantasy intellectual property on the horizon, along with whispers of a potential remake of The Last of Us Part 2.

Nixxes Software

Specializing in the conversion of console games to PC, Nixxes Software excels in a field where Sony has recently shown an increased focus. Since becoming a part of the PlayStation family in the middle of 2021, Nixxes has played a vital role in bringing Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales to PC. Lead Engineer Coen Frauenfelder has confirmed that Nixxes is currently involved in the exciting task of remastering beloved Sony classics.

Polyphony Digital

San Diego Studio

- Sony's Polyphony Digital studio, based in Japan, remains dedicated to enhancing Gran Turismo 7 even after its launch in March 2022. With an impressive lineup of over 400 cars, the game has set a new record for size within the series and, owing to its exceptional VR capabilities, is widely regarded as one of the premier experiences available.

Sony's San Diego Studio primarily focuses on developing the MLB: The Show series nowadays, while occasionally exploring other ventures. As expected, the studio is presently dedicated to crafting MLB: The Show 24, set to launch on various platforms in March 2024.

Santa Monica Studio

Savage Game Studios

In the aftermath of the launch of God of War Ragnarok towards the end of 2022, there has been a noticeable lull in updates regarding Santa Monica Studio's forthcoming major venture. However, job openings indicate that progress has already commenced on an undisclosed project, with specific indications strongly hinting at the possibility of yet another installment in the God of War franchise.

In mid-2022, Sony made a significant acquisition by acquiring Savage Game Studios. This move was accompanied by the exciting announcement that PlayStation Studios would be expanding into the mobile market. Additionally, Savage Game Studios revealed that they are currently developing a high-profile AAA mobile live-service action game, which has yet to be officially announced. However, it was later unveiled in May of the following year that Savage Game Studios is just one of several internal studios within Sony working on captivating mobile titles.

Sucker Punch Productions

Following the immense success of Ghost of Tsushima, there has been a plethora of rumors surrounding Sucker Punch Studios potentially developing either a reboot of Sly Cooper or a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima. However, as of now, the official stance is that the Sucker Punch team is diligently focusing on Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, the game's online multiplayer component.

Team Asobi

Team Asobi, one of Sony's esteemed Japanese development studios, has gained recognition for its exceptional contribution to the Playroom series. Recent job postings have indicated that the studio's upcoming release will be a highly ambitious 3D action-adventure game. Many enthusiasts speculate that this game will serve as a sequel or spiritual successor to the PS5 tech demonstration, Astro's Playroom. During a revealing interview in 2022, Nicolas Doucet, the esteemed creative and studio director, confirmed that this next endeavor by Team Asobi will be their most substantial project to date.

Valkyrie Entertainment

Valkyrie Entertainment, a support studio known for its involvement in acclaimed projects such as God of War (2018) and its upcoming sequel, God of War Ragnarok (2022), has recently revealed that it is embarking on an undisclosed strategy game. This venture marks Valkyrie Entertainment's inaugural independent project under Sony's ownership since the acquisition in late 2021.

XDev

XDev has a track record of partnering with both in-house and external development studios, notably demonstrated in 2021 during the development of Returnal. Sources indicate that XDev is presently collaborating with third-party studios on upcoming ventures such as Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin.